Digital Marketing For SME vs Enterprise Clients

Small Players vs. Big Players 🎮

The growth potential is way different between enterprise clients and small businesses in digital marketing.

For small businesses, it’s all about big percentages and small overall numbers 💰

Their focus is on making a big impact with their limited resources.

There’s a lot of low hanging fruit that can make a drastic difference on the company’s (small) bottom line.

And when it comes to enterprise clients 🏢 it’s a whole different story. It’s about small percent changes which translate to big money.

They have the resources to play the game, but sometimes their “status quo” mentality and slower decision making process can stifle experimentation.

Enterprise clients keep a closer eye on the competition and are more affected by the decisions that their competitors make. Smaller companies are more likely to copy their competitors rather than reinvent the wheel.

So, even though the final goal is always to increase profits, businesses of different sizes get there in different ways when it comes to digital marketing 💡

HIPPOs & Being “Data-Driven” 🦛

💬 Let’s talk about the HIPPO – the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion 💰

This person’s opinions and decisions can sometimes override more informed opinions. People may back the HIPPO’s ill informed opinion and go against the advice of those who actually know digital marketing the best!

Let’s also acknowledge that being “data-driven” isn’t as cut and dry as we like to think. When there are politics involved the “hard data” can say different things depending on who it is that’s making the report/PowerPoint.

In smaller companies it’s typically easier to be objective since there are less competing interests. When working with enterprise clients it can be hard at times in terms of knowing people’s motives, including the HIPPO’s!

Not to mention that the people you deal with may change, sometime it feels like a game of musical chairs 🎶

Often a new CMO comes in and have to prove themselves. Sometimes that’s good news, and sometimes it’s disastrous for digital marketing.

On top of all of that, the time horizons are different for each kind of client. For the smaller guys it tends to be more month-to-month while in enterprise companies, they’re more likely to look at things from a quarterly and yearly perspective 🗓️

The Other Side Of The Coin

Shoutout to the HIPPOs, they get a bad rap but it’s not always easy for big enterprises to try new things. Approval from multiple people, the legal team and all the other red tape… it can be way more challenging to get things done.

The costs for trying something new are higher for big businesses, but the trade-off is a more formal and hands-off relationship 🤝

No midnight emails or frantic weekend calls 🕛📞 like with the little guys.

Relationships with enterprise clients are more formal, whereas with small businesses it’s more casual and personal. You might even have a beer with a client from a small biz 🍻 But with big enterprises, that’s way less likely to happen 🤯

One thing to note about working with enterprise clients is that there’s potential for a lot of politics.

Smaller companies are easier to have straightforward conversations with, and you might even be dealing with the CEO or founder. With big enterprises, things can take longer to get done 🕰️

It’s all a trade-off, some people prefer working with enterprise clients, while others might prefer working with small businesses. It’s just a matter of preference.

It’s All Relative ⚖️

💭 There’s no such thing as the “best” size when working with companies on their digital marketing, just endless learning opportunities! 🚀

Working with smaller clients can help you grow quickly and be nimble, while enterprise clients offer a chance to coordinate big campaigns. The key is to make the most of every situation and keep learning! 🧠️

Don’t just learn, put what you’ve learned into action 💪

You can apply what you’ve learned from one experience to another, no matter the size of the client. So always be open to growth opportunities!